When big rig drivers get lost

A bridge scraped by an oversize load that triggered a multi-vehicle crash on Interstate 80 on Wednesday is structurally sound, officials said.

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By JENNA EBERSOLE

poconorecord.com

By JENNA EBERSOLE

Posted Sep. 6, 2013 at 12:01 AM

By JENNA EBERSOLE

Posted Sep. 6, 2013 at 12:01 AM

» Social News

A bridge scraped by an oversize load that triggered a multi-vehicle crash on Interstate 80 on Wednesday is structurally sound, officials said.

Pennsylvania Department of Transportation bridge engineers inspected the bridge during cleanup after the incident, PennDOT spokesman Ron Young said.

The crash occurred at the Prospect Street overpass in East Stroudsburg and slowed traffic throughout the day.

Young said the driver of the oversize load slowed because he was unsure if he was going to clear the overpass. He tapped a beam but did no visible damage to the bridge. In slowing down, he triggered a chain-reaction crash that injured the driver of a car carrier.

An incident report from police with information on the company was unavailable Thursday.

PennDOT spokeswoman Ashley Schoch said that when haulers apply for a permit, they enter their desired routes into the permitting system. The route is analyzed in relation to the height, weight and width information the hauler provides and permits are sometimes denied.

But the problem of drivers taking the wrong route while operating a vehicle with an oversize load arises occasionally, state police spokesman Adam Reed said. State police investigate instances when drivers or companies break the rules of their permits.

"It's a little bit more common than you may think," Reed said. "A lot of times, the drivers will get lost and will try to get turned around, and that will put them in a precarious spot."

Once off-course, drivers could face a bridge too low to pass under or not strong enough to support their weight. Even a sharp bend in the road could be hazardous, Reed said.

GPS technology has also had an effect on drivers, who may be following the device rather than the route their permit requires them to travel. "That is a very, very common excuse given to us by drivers," Reed said.

Reed said it is the drivers' responsibility to know their routes. "The GPS is not going to have those routes programmed into it," he said.

Drivers and companies that break the rules can face thousands of dollars in fines, Reed said. Fines for drivers on roads their permit does not allow them to travel can add up quickly as they are assessed based on the amount their vehicle is overweight.

Reed said the problem can be dangerous, but results in more traffic headaches than crashes with injuries.

"They'll close the road down while the truck is removed and the scene is cleared, and it can back up traffic while we complete our investigation," he said.

In 2011, two people were injured in crashes involving oversize loads in Pike and Monroe counties, while crashes involving the loads caused no injuries in 2012, according to statistics provided by PennDOT spokeswoman Jamie Legenos.

Last year, Porter Township officials searched for a driver who got stuck while crossing a bridge and caused more than $20,000 in damage before fleeing the scene, driving backward on flat tires for three miles.

The driver blamed the incident on GPS, a witness reported to officials.